Trainees and Scholars

Grace Venechuk, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

gvenechuk@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison; MA, University of Colorado Denver; BM, Berklee College of Music
Research Interests: Aging; Work Quality; Work Stress and Burnout; Disparities in Healthy Aging; Life Course; Biodemography; Demography

Jason Bonham, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology

jpbonham@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, UC Irvine; MM, Northwestern University; BM, Brigham Young University
Research Interests: Social Methodology, Theory, Public Health, Institutions, and Religion

Hanock Spitzer, PhD, JSD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

haspitzer@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Chicago; JSD, University of Chicago
Research Interests: Demography, Family, Law

Della Cox

Predoctoral Fellow, Sociology

della@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA/BS, University of Missouri
Research Interests: Education, Workforce, Stratification and Social Mobility, Quantitative Methods

Andrew Kalweit

Predoctoral Fellow, Public Health Sciences

ahk@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MPH, Harvard University; BA/BS, University of Chicago
Research Interests: Social Epidemoiology – structural determinants of health in shaping disease patterns and effective prevention

Enzo Bessega

Predoctoral Affiliate

enzobessega@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BA, ENS Paris-Saclay and Sorbonne University; MA, ENS Paris-Saclay; MA, ENSAE
Research Interests: Comparative/Historical/Macro Sociology, Health and Medicine, Qualitative Methodology, Quantitative Methodology, Social Theory, Social Networks, Aging

Jason Jincong Freeman, MPH, MS

Predoctoral Affiliate

jincong.freeman@bsd.uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MPH, George Washington University; MS, Columbia University; BA, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Research Interests: Breast cancer disparities, health equity, biomarker prediction, clinical trials, aging and survivorship

Chinasa Imo

Predoctoral Affiliate

chinasa@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, University of Chicago; MA, University of Lagos; BSc, Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Research Interests: How health system governance, reforms, and participatory processes impact healthcare delivery for underserved populations in low-resource and volatile settings within the global health space

Yiang Li

Predoctoral Affiliate

yiangli@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, University of Chicago; BSc, University College London
Research Interests: Social Demography, Health, Family, Aging and the Life Course, Inequality and Stratification, Statistical Methods

Health Services Research Program (AHRQ T32)

Ariel Maschke

Predoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

admaschke@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): MA, UChicago School of Social Service Administration (now Crown Family School); BA, Northwestern University
Research Interests: Role of evidence in social policy, governance, and social work practice; organizational theory; science and technology studies; monitoring and evaluation; substance use; child welfare

Joseph Battles

Predoctoral Fellow, Department of Economics

joebattles.ca@gmail.com
Degree(s): BA, Yale University
Research Interests: Public Economics; Health Economics; Social Insurance, specifically Medicare/Medicaid

MD/PhD Program in Medicine, the Social Sciences, and Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (MeSH)

Julie Deleger

jdeleger@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BA, Washington University in St. Louis
Research Interests: Decision science; simulation modeling; cost-effectiveness analysis; health policy; health equity; population health; healthcare evaluation and outcomes research; social determinants of health; immigrant health; street medicine; reproductive health; contraceptive care; and infectious diseases

Riley O'Neal

riley.oneal@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): MPH, Northwestern University; BS, University of South Carolina Honors College
Research Interests: Community-engaged evaluation; c

Joseph Krongold

jkrongold@uchicago.edu
PhD Program: Public Health Sciences- Health Services Research
Research Interests: Quality measurement, end of life care

Postdoctoral Program in Clinical Research, Biomedical Informatics, and Health Equity (TL1)

Eva Melstrom, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

emelstrom@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, UCLA; MSc, Boston University; BA, Kalamazoo College
Research Interests: Individual experiences of mental and emotional health in relation to migration/mobility

Mona Moukaddem, MD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Medicine

mjm36@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): General Medicine, American University of Beirut
Research Interests: Emergency medicine research, health equity in emergency medicine, incorporating health informatics in emergency medicine research, clinical trials

Lia Smith, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Rush University

lia_smith@rush.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Houston; MA, University of Houston; BA, Wheaton College
Research Interests: Risk (e.g., sleep, distress tolerance) and resilience (e.g., mindfulness, psychological flexibility) processes at the intersection of trauma, substance misuse, and health disparities

Paula de la Pena, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Loyola University Chicago

pdelapena@luc.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Loyola University Chicago; MS, Benedictine University; BS, Lewis University; BA, University of Cincinnati
Research Interests: Symptoms/symptom science, cerebrovascular disease, stroke outcomes, natural language processing, big data analyses

Katayoun Hemmesi, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurosurgery Department

khemmesi@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): PhD, Vita-Salute San-Raffaele University; MSc, Hamadan University
Research Interests: Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of brain tumor initiation, progression and resistance to therapy, with a focus on identifying novel therapeutic targets for more effective treatment of brain tumors

Ahmad Sweid, MD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurological Surgery Department

ahmad.sweid@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): MD, Lebanese American University; BS, Lebanese American University
Research Interests: To integrate outcomes research with translational innovation to advance vascular neurosurgery

Sara Snitselaar, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

ssnitselaar@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Boston University; M.A., Central European University; B.A., St. Mary’s College of California
Research Interests: Medical Sociology, Healthcare Policy, Social Determinants, Sociology of Knowledge and Expertise, Cultural Sociology, Sociology of Professions and Occupations, Medical Markets

Corina Ronneberg, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Rush University

corina_r_ronneberg@rush.edu
Degree(s): PhD, U Mass. Boston; B.A., Northeastern Illinois University
Research Interests: The role of Faith/Religiosity/Spirituality in Health Promotion and Well-Being; Mental Health (e.g., depression, anxiety); Behavioral Lifestyle Intervention Development and Implementation

Lauren Gonsalves, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

lgonsalves@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, University of Washington; B.S., University of Minnesota
Research Interests: Bacterial metabolism; human microbiome; host-microbe-environment interactions; cancer disparities

Doris Osei Afriyie, DPhil

Postdoctoral Fellow, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

doriso@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): DPhil, University of Basel/Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute; MPH, Columbia University; BA, University of Chicago
Research Interests: Understanding and addressing disparities in service delivery and quality of care; implementing effective strategies to increase uptake of care among populations living in low-resource settings

Victoria Lee, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, CHeSS

victorialee@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): MD, University of Chicago; PhD, University of Chicago; BS, University of Texas at Dallas
Research Interests: Computational immunology, systems biology, dermatology

Cameron Beckett, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology

cbeckett@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): PhD, Università di Bologna; MA, Università di Bologna; BA, University of Toledo
Research Interests: Medical Sociology; Cross-Cultural Health Research; Informal Caregiving; Lay Expertise and Knowledge; Dementia Care

Burroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship

Kevin Chen

2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine

kevin.chen@uchicagomedicine.org
Degree(s): BA, Rice University
Research Interests: Biomechanics, traumatic injuries, gunshot wounds, social determinants of health

Riley Driscoll

2023-24 BWF Fellow, Pritzker School of Medicine

rdriscoll7@uchicago.edu
Degree(s): BS, BYU
Research Interests: Low- and high-grade astrocytoma pathobiology; Metastatic brain and spinal tumors; CNS malignancy and disease burden in the aging population; Glial senescence and senolytic therapy; Drug repurposing and clinical trials